Zero Hour: Defense of Shanxi
by Demon Eyes Laharl
Summary: After executing First Contact protocols, a Science Vessel that was responsible for activating a Mass Relay stopped transmitting. For the Terran and Protoss settlement in Shanxi, this could be onset of an invasion. This is just the beginning.
1. Chapter 1

**Adjutant 46A-23B online. Welcome, General Williams. Connecting to the System Alliance Network. **

**. **

**.**

**Opening Archives. Summarisation of history starting year 2504, "The Second Great War", using United Terran System as a focal point.**

**October – **General James Eugene Raynor (then Leader of Independent Terran Military Formation Raynors Raiders fighting against Dominion Forces, headed by Emperor Arcturus Mengsk*) rallies Mar Sara separatist civilians against an under strength Terran Dominion Logistic Headquarters. He meets up with an old friend, Tychus Findley, who claims he was representing Möebius Foundation, a scientific organization that specialized in archeology. With depleting funds, Findley's suggestion of obtaining Xel'Naga artifacts for the Möebius Foundation proves to be an opportunity.

Obtaining allies, Raynors Raiders slowly grabs pieces of the artifact, realizing that the zerg and the Queen of Blades Kerrigan** are after the same thing. Prince Valerian Mengsk, heir and son of the Dominion Emperor, strikes a shaky truce with Raynors Raiders, advising that the artifact may lead to de-infesting Kerrigan. Another old friend of Raynor, Protoss*** Dark Templar Prelate Zeratul, appears in the Hyperion (flagship of General Raynor), warning him of a prophecy concerning Kerrigan, tying her fate to the rest of the sector's and appearance of a race that threatened to destroy all.

General Raynor also to obtains a recording from an old adjutant implicating Emperor Mengsk as a war criminal while building his assets.

After successfully landing and establishing a FOB on the zerg core world of Char, they successfully held the line, letting the artifact build energy unleashing a wave that devastated zerg defenses enough to extract a more humanoid Kerrigan back to the Hyperion.

Unknown to them, back at Earth, a discovery of an alien ruins and technological caches on Mars**** introduces a new concept called Mass Effect.

* * *

_Additional notes: _

_*- Arcturus Mengsk is a terran from Korhal IV. He led the Sons of Korhal and orchestrated the downfall of the Terran Confederacy during the First Great War. Mengsk ruled the Terran Dominion, the Confederacy's successor, as Emperor Arcturus Mengsk I. Relationship with General Raynor turned antagonistic after abandoning Kerrigan to the Zerg in Tarsonis. Theories regarding his betrayal ranged from Kerrigan being politically unreliable to a form of vengeance against the Ghost that killed his family. _

_**- Sarah Louise Kerrigan was a psychic terran female. Began her career as a Confederate Ghost and later became the second-in-command of the Sons of Korhal. Following Arcturus Mengsk's betrayal she was captured and infested by the Zerg Swarm, ultimately becoming the self-proclaimed Queen of Blades and leader of the Swarm up to this date. _

_***- The protoss are a sapient humanoid race that were native to Aiur. For more information, check 'Protoss' under 'System Alliance'. _

_****- Having not received word from the Expeditionary Fleet of United Earth Directorate during the Brood War, the worse was perceived and the UED established buffer militarized zones, creating Luna Base, and then expanding colonization in Mars. One of their probes accidentally detected the alien ruins along with three functional ships and a new element dubbed 'element zero' that were hidden deep beneath the south polar region of Promethei Planum._

* * *

**November – **Dominion Ghost SpecOps infiltrate Hyperion, hoping to catch the weakened Kerrigan off-guard. Hyperion crew and the recovered Sarah Kerrigan were able to drive off the Dominion Ghosts. Raynor and Valerian were unable to convince Kerrigan to stay. Enraged of the memory of being left behind in New Gettysburg, she disabled Valerian, and took an escape pod back to Char, where she tried to re-establish her brood, fighting off a mutinous Brood Queen Mother.

Dropping Valerian to Haven* for medical attention, Raynor's Raiders begin to concentrate on their engagements with the Dominion. Raynor uses the obtained data, spreading an outcry in the core Dominion worlds. Emperor Arcturus Mengsk tightens policy and declares a harsher Martial Law ruling. A majority of Dominion supporters unanimously declared support to Raynor's Raiders forcing Mengsk to withdraw from Korhal.

With the bulk of Dominion Forces scattered, Raynors Raiders were able to keep Mengsk on the run until Kerrigan, now establishing a majority of her broods, returned. Combined forces of both Raynor's Raiders and Kerrigan's Brood, cornered Arcturus Mengsk. Instead of submitting, Mengsk drives his ship to a collision course with the Hyperion, but was subsequently halted by concentrated fire.

Raynor succeeds Mengsk as leader of the terran Dominion. He establishes proposals for a more democratic form of government, but it is proving to be troublesome in applying to the numerous terran worlds. Valerian Mengsk has been assisting him regarding system politics.

Sarah Kerrigan began to search for more broods lost, preparing for the invasion of the enemy that the protoss prophecy spoke of.

Unknown to them, back on Earth, applying Mass Effect technology with current FTL technology proved to be fruitful. Application on a smaller scale is being developed. Science Vessel Discovery uncovered the dormant Mass Relay of Charon, which was initially thought as Pluto's moon. Talks of exploring Koprulu Sector again with a larger force were discussed, and after a few days of deliberation, finalized.

They sent a sizable contingent led by Admiral Jean Greystone to Koprulu Sector. Another expeditionary fleet was sent through the Charon Relay for exploration and colonization, led by Jon Grissom, reaching Arcturus system.

* * *

_Additional notes: _

_*- Haven is a temperate garden planet within range of the Koprulu Sector. It is populated by refugees of both Agria and Meinhoff during the Second Great War. It was also a sight of skirmish between Executor Selendis and General Raynor when a zerg infestation was discovered within the population. Raynors Raiders were able to hold off the protoss fleet while Dr. Hanson, a genius scientist expert in biochemistry and other disciplines, was able to obtain a cure for the current infestation. Her work was able to stave off more complex zerg strains when used against the Alliance by the Hybrids, a perverted combination of both protoss and zerg._

* * *

**December – **Protoss Dark Templar Prelate Zeratul advises of his discoveries of the prophecy he obtained Ulaan, causing unrest among the many still separated tribes of the protoss. Even after the events of the Brood War, Hierarch Artanis was unable to keep the peace between the Dark Templar and the Khalai, reverting the protoss back to tribalism.

Worse, the emerging appearance of Hybrids began to attack and easily annihilating smaller tribes. With a common enemy, the protoss slowly began to unite closer tribes, slowly expanding and gaining small victories against the enemy. Unfortunately, a majority of the tribes have left to farther regions, and defending a front had put considerable strain in getting the word out.

Fortunately, the new United Terran Sector, led by Admiral Matt Horner (then XO of Hyperion flagship of UTS) assisted the protoss providing logistic aid to assist in rebuilding tribes and uniting the protoss.

On another front, hybrids have also been attacking the fringe planets of the UTS. The contingent of the United Earth Directorate had been caught unawares. Caught in an ambush, UED ships began to retreat and formed a defensive line that held long enough for a UTS patrol to confirm their location and send reinforcements. Both humans of Earth and Koprulu Sector worked together*, second time in history, to secure a retreat for the battered UED contingent.

* * *

_Additional notes: _

_*- UED and the Terran Dominion first worked together during the Brood War, as they tried to take Char Aleph, an infested orbital platform used as a staging area for the zerg._

* * *

**Year 2505**

**January– **Heavy fighting in all sectors. Hybrid forces began to land on fringes of UTS space, and began employing zerg forces in a ground war. Overwhelming the terrans, they began to slowly evacuate civilians back to core worlds, each defensive position growing harder to push through every planet conquered.

Leader Raynor meets with surviving senior rank office of UED, Commodore Steven Hackett. Purpose of UED's presence is discussed, but with the looming war, an alliance is formed by both parties. The United Terran Alliance was formed. Mass Effect technology proved to be an interest, but deemed unpractical considering the situation. Instead, it was decided that Commodore Hackett would use the faster UED ships to use hit and run tactics at Hybrid flanks when the heavier and harder hitting UTS forces would pin them in place.

Hybrid forces were slowed down, but even with amazing synchronization between the former antagonistic terrans, they were being pushed back nearer and nearer to the core worlds.

Fortunately, it was enough. Zerg, led by Sarah Kerrigan, appeared and flanked the Hybrids. With numbers, they began to assist in breaking open any fortified defenses and Kerrigan's presence was also a decisive asset as she was able to confuse, and sometimes outright change the alliance of any zerg forces under the Hybrid's control.

In four weeks, Hybrid forces were decimated. They had no concept of surrendering, and were annihilated. In the end, the UTA was victorious in their front, and began to concentrate forces on the protoss front.

Protoss forces have finally united under a banner for both Dark Templars and Khalai, but were still outnumbered. Bolstered with the terran and zerg numbers, the hybrids were also annihilated in this front, ending the threat. Zerg forces dispersed immediately, and Kerrigan mysteriously disappeared.

**March – **UTA disbands as Leader Raynor and Commodore Hackett began talks regarding intentions of the UED. Deciding on talking with Earth leaders, a diplomatic convoy was planned. Mass Effect technology research and the retrofitting the UTS ships that will be used as diplomatic envoy to Earth began. Protoss sped up research, lending their expertise in warping and shielding technology.

An interest piqued among the protoss as they discover that Mass Effect technology is similar to the xel'naga technology they were using. Protoss request to accompany UTS on their diplomatic envoy.

Commodore Steven Hackett sends out a message and report of what has been happening, and advises the plot course to Earth.

**June – **UTS ships weren't as fast as UED ships, and took longer for them to return to the Sol System. Hackett's message got through, UED forces mobilized. UTS and Protoss forces were cleared through, but still under suspicion.

Raynor, Valerian, High Executor Selendis and Prelate Zeratul meet with UED representatives at _Freedom _station. First day of talks seemed promising. Impressions of what the terran criminals made themselves productive in Koprulu sector seemed to appease the UED representatives, and talks of trade of goods and services seemed be the opening both terrans needed for mutual peace.

Protoss also offered services on their views of Mass Effect technology, making their request to see Mars ruins much easier to allow.

There was more scepticism regarding alliance with zerg. Their absence on the diplomatic envoy made their involvement questionable.

**September – **UED, UTS and Protoss establish the System Alliance. This secures trade routes and establishes and promotes cultural exchange between the Terrans and Protoss. Zerg nominated as a member, but with the silence of Kerrigan and her brood, most rules concentrated on the UED, UTS and Artanis' united protoss tribes.

Protoss discover more similarities of the xel'naga and protheans. Extensive studies show that the disappearance of the xel'naga may have been caused by something else other than the protoss division. Scholars and religious figures argue the continued studies of the xel'naga and protheans, most advising it may cause another Aeon of Strife*.

Zerg overlords find a dormant mass relay. UTS transport the relay to a system near Koprulu Sector, the Protoss and the zerg worlds. UED scientists activate the dormant relay, and realized the relay was able to connect to the nearby Charon relay. Trade became more efficient.

* * *

_Additional notes: _

_*- Aeon of Strife is considered the bloodiest civil war in protoss history. Due to massive scientific and psionic development, protoss began to splinter to different tribes and waged war on each other._

* * *

**October – **UED and UTS began to establish colonization rights. Exploration of other planets outside the Sol system for colonization approved. Planet Terra Nova and Eden Prime surveyed. Protoss were invited to join, but with the devastation of Aiur, their homeworld, and other Protoss colonies, they concentrated on rebuilding their old colonies and home planet.

Ghost and Spectre SpecOps training was combined and re-purposed to the N7 program. This is due to a Ghost and Spectre successfully stopping a terrorist group from crashing a ship filled with element zero at Singapore International Spaceport. The attack was covered up. To the general public, what happened was an error that was almost a catastrophic accident.

Both UED and UTS began to modify training regime for both Ghosts and Spectres. Instead of treating psionics in the program with suspicion, they began to take a more active role in turning them to long-term military assets.

**December – **UED and UTS combine resources to begin colonization. Demeter was the first to be colonized, and plans for Eden Prime and Terra Nova were underway.

Protoss offer retired templars to expand on human knowledge about psionics. Specialization of psionics break down the N7 programs to three branches. N7 program was also modified and took in non-psionics for training purposes as well. Soldiers and even engineers that showed the highest competence and skill were invited. While psionics regarded non-psionic recruits with suspicion, the broadening of training aspects allowed them to pursue careers beyond just being black-ops soldiers. In time, both the psionics and non-psionics of the program worked together with little friction.

Private biomedical firm Sirta Foundation produced a medical breakthrough - the first prototype medi-gel. After years of gathering information obtained through surviving ground medics and medivacs regarding the First and Second Great War, the firm produced the all purpose salve that combines anaesthetic and clotting agent. Military and civilian use of medi-gel expanded longevity rates and reduced complications and discomfort for patients.

Freedom Station moved slowly to Arcturus system. Expanded and built upon. UED and UST begin to expand the station, and plan to build massive fleets as a means to protect their colonies.

**2506 – **UED and UTS completely occupies Freedom Station. Protoss fleets allowed to dock and station there. Freedom Station was re-inaugurated to Arcturus Station. System Alliance plan to use the station as a base of operation.

**2507– **Planet Shanxi established for colonization. Thanks to Terran technology, Command Centers began rapid deployment over the planet. Settlements and military personnel oversee civilian ships settling in, and began to expand quickly.

Protoss explorers establish a smaller developments on the outskirts of the terran cities. In constant communication, the allied races began to expand total sphere of influence on the planet.

Caches of minerals were found concentrated at the centre of terran population. Protoss settlements found notable hotspots for vespene geysers.

UED forces began to scout and fortify defenses off-world, building orbital platforms in orbit. UST fleets patrolled the space, where they discover a dormant mass relay near the edge of the system.

**Three days ago - **A Science Vessel Newton began to travel to the dormant relay for study, and began to plan on activating it.

**Current Date, Five hours ago** - Newton advises they are activating First Contact protocol. They sent data of unknown signal coming from the outer rim of the system.

**Four hours ago - **Newton signal lost.

.

.

**Logging you out, General Williams.**

* * *

_Author's Notes: _

_I've been wanting to combine the two universes for a while now, and I thought, what better way to paint the picture is with the first war between the Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy? While I am a bit knowledgeable regarding the two games, I still like to have some feedback from those who have studied the lores of both. If any think I missed something or correct me, click that review button or PM me. _

_I'm also open for beta-readers. _

_IRL note, my computer died. So my next Atelier Uzumaki has been delayed once more. Sorry._

_Update: Thanks to a few reviews and a PM, corrected that the bit that protoss need food. And gobsmacked myself. A literal photosynthetic life form with a lifespan of an asari. If they could meld like them, I'd be all over it. Selendis is hot. _


	2. Chapter 2

He opened his eyes ten seconds after his alarm clock went off. Resisting the urge to just smash it to the wall, Lieutenant Adolphus Shepard sighed as he sat up. Rubbing his head, he closed his eyes momentarily, and muttered, "Lights."

He slowly opened his eyes, letting his eyesight adjust to the harsh glare of the white blue light that activated, and the familiar metal walls greeted him as they did for the past few weeks. He glared at them uselessly. He could still remember the first morning waking up in the _Andre_, the Hercules Dropship that was transporting him and his unit to Shanxi for their assignment. He didn't know that lights opened at full intensity, nor the fact that the shiny walls seemed to reflect every light ray at his direction. It wouldn't have been so bad, except his ocular implant intensified the whole thing, almost driving him blind. Not literally, but still. One of the medics of his unit, Corporal Jennifer Santos, assured him that his implant was still working at optimal efficiency, but he could swear that it wasn't working at a hundred percent.

She respectfully told him it was all in his head.

Shepard grinned. He liked the fact that his new platoon had spunk. He could have ignored her advice and still voice his complaints but he remembered he was a UST representative, an N7 SpecOps Saboteur. He was also assigned a veteran platoon that would help train, conscript and defend the newly colonized world.

Besides, his mother told him that only fools ignore the advice of doctors. And bigger the fool if the doctor was a woman.

Slowly standing up, Shepard grabbed the vidsnap of his wife, Hannah, and his little angel, and kissed both figures before he began a series of stretches to get his blood running and continued with a series of push-ups and abdominal crunches. After a quick shower, he dressed and prepped his C25B canister rifle fitted with a scope and silencer and laid it down on his workbench. He adjusted the sights first, then synchronized it with his implant before he removed the silencer and checked to see if there was any blockage. He took out the clip and moved the slide to make sure that the chamber was empty before he removed the barrel and checked that to see if there was blockage.

There was nothing wrong with his rifle, he knew that. It hadn't seen any action for weeks, and there was no working firing range in the _Andre_. Still, he always did it. The rifle was his weapon, an extension of himself. If anything went wrong, he would most likely end up dead a few seconds after.

Shepard was already on the process of cleaning it when he heard a knock at his door.

"Come in."

Shepard stole a glance, and spotted Staff Sergeant Martinez, his second in command, and the highest commanding officer of the platoon before he was assigned to it. The man had been with the unit for years, and was one of the more receptive and welcoming soldiers to receive him. Shepard usually went to him for advice about getting to know members of the platoon or for disciplining them when the situation called for it.

Martinez saluted, which Shepard returned. The Saboteur signaled him closer as he went back to his rifle.

"Please don't tell me Jenkins and Harris shot up the mess hall," Shepard said.

"No sir. Jenkins and Harris hasn't done anything stupid," Martinez replied.

"Then what are you doing up here so early, Martinez?"

"Urgent message from command. Captain wants to see you at the CIC. Says Admiral Horner is on the line."

Shepard frowned. Matt Horner was a familiar name. He served under the man during the second Great War before he was given the dubious honor of being promoted to Admiral. Horner had joked that it was a form of Raynor's revenge when the man got saddled up as the leader of UTS, but still kept a friendly policy of keeping things informal until combat or serious situations.

Last time they spoke, Horner told him he was often tempted to just ignore rank and procedure. Shepard replied by calling him by his first name, which Horner told him where he could shove it. Horner then informed Shepard that he was being assigned a new platoon and a new assignment at Shanxi.

Had their orders changed? Unlikely. They were just a few hours away, and anything drastic changes would make it unpractical. Nodding to Martinez, he quickly climbed a flight of stairs to get to CIC, and saluted as he came up to the Captain, an aged but alert gentleman who Shepard guessed would serve for another good twenty years.

"Captain," Shepard greeted.

"Lieutenant ," the man greeted back. "Signal's a bit shaky but it's still a clear transmission. You ready?"

Shepard nodded, and when the holographic screen came to life, he greeted, almost informally, "Hey Horner, what's going-" and stopped dead on his tracks when three figures popped on screen. Horner was in the middle, trying his damned hardest to hide his grin. At his left side was an older man, his hair slicked back with a scarred line running over his right eye. He recognized him as General Williams, the one responsible for colonizing Shanxi. And on Horner's right was the High Executor Selendis, a highly recognizable protoss.

"General, High Executor, Admiral," Shepard gave a sharp salute. "My apologies."

"Its fine, Lieutenant," Horner grinned. "At ease."

Shepard nodded, and placed his arms at his back. A general and a high executor? Now he was worried.

Horner took a moment before he said, "Lieutenant, there has been a change of plans."

"What's going on, sir?"

General Williams spoke up. "A new situation came up, Lieutenant. I'll try to keep it brief. Six hours ago, we lost Science Vessel _Newton_'s signal while they were trying to activate a dormant mass relay at the edge of the system. Before that, they had activated First Contact Protocol, advising they had received a signal coming from darkspace. I am sending you detailed reports from what we pieced together from the _Newton_. Adjutant."

"Receiving data," one of the officers in the console declared. Another screen opened up, Shepard took a look at the data they just received. He frowned.

"Maybe it was a wild brood of zerg?"

Horner shook his head. "Wouldn't that make life simple? No. Signal came from a ship. Seems like an IFF."

Shepard sighed. First Contact with another alien species. "Just when I thought the universe would stop surprising me."

"It matters little," Selendis spoke. "It is an unprovoked attack. And I hope General Williams responded in kind."

Shepard agreed that it was an action that could be interpreted as an act of war, but he half-wondered if it was simply a misunderstanding. Terran and protoss forces had clashed when the terran worlds were bombarded by the protoss fleets, and it took years before they understood what provoked the alien's actions.

First Contact protocols were AI programs specifically designed to try and communicate with whoever they were sent at in addition to stealthily going through unencrypted programs to see if they could establish common language grounds, hoping to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Yet, who was to say this new alien species would interpret those actions as aggressive?

"Not as aggressively," Williams replied to the High Executor. "We sent out a contingent of Vikings and Ravens to the relay, sent another protocol."

"What happened sir?"

"They attacked again. This time, we were ready. Engagement was successful, and we were able to drive them back out," the general replied. "We were also able to obtain useful data. Adjutant."

When the data was received, it appeared on the screen again. Shepard read through it and has he finished it his eyebrows shot up up.

Whoever these species were, they were highly advanced in using mass effect technology. Viking pilots of the 587th Fleet described how their fighter ships were very maneuverable for their size, firing miniscule projectiles traveling at speeds fast enough to cause serious damage. There was also a moderately sized cruiser, half the size of a Battlecruiser, that packed enough punch to cause life threatening damage to the structural integrity a Viking after only one shot. The aliens also had some sort of shields which blocked their initial salvo of missiles, something terran technology was only able to apply to their bigger ships.

Fortunately for them, they had outnumbered the enemy ships and with the Raven's Point Defense Drones, took minimal damage.

"If we could obtain one of these ships intact, it would give us further understanding in making our own mass effect technology more efficient," Horner advised.

"I doubt they'd just close up shop, sir," Shepard replied. "From the numbers here, it looked like just a scouting party. Those who retreated would likely get back to their superiors and come back with more numbers."

Williams sighed. "They already have."

Shepard straightened up. "Sir?"

"We lost the signal of the 587th fleet two hours ago. A lone raven was given a retreat order and had a message in its data core. Adjutant."

A small screen popped up, its icon displaying 'Audio Only' as a recording played.

"This is Captain - - Fouad of the 587th - - Fleet. I don't know if any of you - - receive this. They came out - - nowhere! - - outnumbered us. Using some - - ECM. Lost all - - communication. Can't hold - - alone! More - - cruisers and damn aliens have - - ship bigger than a fu - - Battlecruiser! Agh! - - hit! Targeting - - collision course - - cruiser! Tell my dad - -"

The signal was lost. Shepard frowned as he tried to make sense of what he could understand. From what he gathered, the aliens had a fast response time and had from what the captain had said an impressive contingent of ships.

"Lieutenant, what do you make of this?" Horner asked.

"Honestly, there's too little information to go on," Shepard replied. "Captain Fouad wasn't able to give a number of hostiles. Also, the presence of a ship larger than a Battlecruiser worries me. How well defended is Shanxi?"

"Not heavily enough," Williams replied. "We have handful contingents of Vikings and Banshees planet side and we currently only have two Battlecruiser near the platform. Bad news is that they are relatively unsupported and may be overwhelmed. Worse, any transmission being sent is being scrambled and is almost unrecognizable. I still have the signal, but giving them orders will be limited at best. I was able to warn of enemy contacts and for them to defend the platform."

"I still have a good contingent of Vikings and Wraiths at the platform. Once I get a message through, I'll deploy them to support your Battlecruisers, General," Horner added.

Selendis looked at the two terrans, and shook her head. "Unfortunately, most of our war assets are at our sectors. I will advise our Executor at Shanxi to warp in Gateways and Stargates as soon as we can to bring in supporting ships and soldiers."

"Thank you, Admiral and High Executor. I'll take any help I can get."

Horner then faced Shepard. The Saboteur straightened up.

"Your orders, sir?"

"You and your platoon are to land on the orbital platform orbiting Shanxi. I need you to get to the UTS command post, and deploy the Viking and Wraith Company to support the battlecruisers. Gather as much intelligence as you can, Shepard. Any advantage, any info you can get will help us immensely in our fight," Horner said.

Shepard saluted. "I'll deploy my forces as soon as we reach the platform."

"Godspeed then. I'll inform Raynor on what is going on, and we'll see if we can get reinforcements to Shanxi immediately," Horner nodded, and his holographic figure disappeared.

Selendis seemed to nod as well. "I shall also send word to any fleets close to Arcturus Station, and join Raynor's fleets as well. May Adun watch over you," and she too disappeared.

General Williams looked at Shepard for a moment, and sighed. "Lieutenant, if you can find a means to boost the signal while you are up there, I'd appreciate it as well. We are fighting blind down here, and I don't like it."

"Will do sir."

"Williams out."

Shepard relaxed as the General's figure disappeared as well. He looked at the captain of the _Andre_, and gave him a grim grin. "Captain, I'm afraid we're going to change our destination a bit."

"No problem, Lieutenant," the Captain replied, frowning. "I'll get us to the orbital platform and get touched down immediately." He gave the order to the helmsman, and before Shepard turned away, he could hear the man mutter, "Another species, and another war. You'd think things would change."

Shepard shook his head, and turned around, only to spot Martinez nearby. He approached him, and asked, "Guess you heard our new assignment?"

Martinez could only nod. He saluted. "I'll gather the platoon immediately. We'll be ready once we hit ground side."

"Good man. Carry on. I'll be at the loading bay in ten."

Shepard immediately went back to his room and began his final check on his rifle before putting it back together. He also grabbed the vidnsap of his family, and put it in his left breast pocket before he took out his personal armor from under the bed. Like all N7 armor, it was made of interchangeable pieces all hardwired to a small computer located at the base of the neck. Higher-ups knew that each N7 agent is different, and the program encouraged each of them to customize their own rifles and armor to suit their needs and style.

His armor was painted in gray and black camo, and the only other color it had was the white and red N7 logo at his right collar. Heaviest modification came from the helmet visor and arms, and Shepard tweaked it to the point that ensured that whatever he would aim, he would hit. The rest of the armor was painted in material that would minimize his presence on any radar, and a conductive mesh that would ensure that he'd be hidden from sight immediately once he activated his full-body cloak.

Once suited up, he checked his suit's enviro systems and made sure the modifications he put in the battle system of his armor were still working at optimal capacity. Shepard also made sure his C-7 pistol sidearm was loaded before he made his way to the loading bay of the _Andre_. Once there, he spotted his platoon all suited up and ready to go.

The platoon had a good thirteen marines, five marauders, and three medics. He could spot Jenkins and Harris checking each others' armor, making sure everything was in working order. Daniels, a Marauder, was giving the three female medics a look, only to be ignored. Everyone else was checking their weapons. Martinez, when spotting Shepard, called attention to the platoon and all gave sharp salutes.

"At ease." Shepard then paused for a moment, looking at each of the soldiers under his command. "I don't know what the Staff Sergeant has told you, but our leave is over. Instead of landing in the spanking new colony, teaching FNGs to take cover and not shoot themselves, we are being deploying on Shanxi's orbital platform. Hostiles are currently blocking transmission orders, and we are to reach a UTS command center, and deploy all available ships to support space combat. There is no current info on the enemy. We have ourselves a First Contact situation."

There was a murmur among them. Shepard nodded.

"Yes, that's right people. New species. All we know is that they are using advanced mass effect technology. Higher-ups tried to talk to them. Twice. We lost civilians, pilots, and soldiers. We don't know what they look like or how they fight. All we know is that they are on their way here, armed, and intent of taking us out," Shepard paused to let what he said sink in.

"And you know what? Let them come. If protocols and words won't take them, then our actions will. Let us show them that we are no strangers to war. We fought ourselves for our countries, for loyalty, for freedom. We bloodied soils of multiple planets fighting the protoss and the zerg. We faced Hybrids to ensure survival for us all, and held the line against innumerable odds."

That got a reaction out of them. All the marines and marauders banged their arms against their armored chests, while the medics stood up straighter. Shepard grinned.

"Let them come so we can show these bastards what they really are: just another chapter in our history, just another race queuing up to fight us. And when the dust settles, let them realize what the others before them did: we are still here!"

"UH-RAAAH!"

"Marines! Whatever it takes!" Martinez shouted.

"Feel the thunder!" they all shouted back.

Shepard watched as they dispersed, most of them standing ready, waiting for the loading bay doors to open. Two medics approached him. He recognized the tanned one as Santos. He almost didn't recognize Hale, the paler one, as her fiery red hair was hidden under her helmet. They both saluted.

"Sir, I never outright said it so I thought now would be the best time; I appreciate having you lead the platoon," Santos said, tone professional as always.

"Me too, sir," Hale advised, though the tone was much more easy going that went well with her smile.

"I appreciate that. And I'll be depending on you all to get us through alive," Shepard replied as he also gave them a salute.

Hale seemed to giggle. "You can definitely count on me sir."

Santos groaned, probably not appreciating her colleague for being too easy going to their commanding officer, and dragged her away. Martinez then approached him afterwards.

"Nice speech, Lieutenant," he said.

"Really?" Shepard scratched his arm slightly. "I thought I overdid it."

"Sir, as long as it gets their blood boiling, you could say nonsense and it'll still be good," Martinez grinned. "Also, sir, I know you are married and all, but the platoon won't say anything as long as you keep it discreet."

Shepard blinked, looked at Martinez. "I'm. . . sorry, but what the hell are you talking about?"

Martinez raised an eyebrow. Shepard felt the Staff Sergeant was wondering if the Saboteur was yanking his visor. "What I mean, sir, is that you have a way with redheads."

Shepard looked at him again, and then to Hale. Catching his gaze, she gave him 'that' smile. It was the very same smile his wife would give him on those special occasions. He looked back at Martinez, who raised an eyebrow.

"You. . . didn't know?"

Shepard frowned. "No idea."

"That's. . . hard to believe sir. You are a psionic right?"

"Level-3. Can't read individuals. Groups are easier, especially if their emotions are synched," Sheperd stole another glance to Hale, who waved at him. He looked back to the Staff Sergeant immediately. "Wow. Okay, that's not good. Should someone tell her that I'm spoken for?"

Martinez didn't know whether to feel sorry for him. He shook his head. "Goodness, no. She'll take that as a challenge." He raised his hands slightly when Shepard looked alarmed. "Don't worry about her performance, sir. She'll be professional groundside. Just. . . watch out during downtime."

"Huh," was all Shepard could say.

* * *

There was a whoosh of air as Shepard and platoon were dropped via gravity tube, and all feet landing on the orbital platform almost instantaneously. He still preferred landing planet-side. The ground on orbital platforms always felt too flat.

After the dismount, the _Andre_ slowly turned back and flew towards Shanxi. Staff Sergeant Martinez checked on the platoon, making sure that everyone landed on right and didn't break anything, giving Shepard time to look around and check on his HUD, reading all information displayed, mentally noting anything he would find useful. From what he gathered, the platform had an artificial atmosphere with breathable air (though slightly thinner than Earth or a core planet in Koprulu Sector). He also began to pick up radio chatter from the moment they landed. He could hear the two captains of the battlecruisers advising they were under attack. He also heard chatter from ground forces but there was too much noise to make out.

He stole a glance to the side, where he could see lights exploding like fireworks, illuminating the sky enough for him to see the figures of the two Minotaur class battlecruisers firing off their laser batteries. The sheer volume of fire dispersed most of the enemy fighters. Some were hit and broke off the attack formation, while the others were completely destroyed. He also glanced towards Shanxi, sighing as he remembered that they were initially assigned to train rookies to defend their cities.

Nothing changed assignments more drastically than an upcoming war and they had the best seats in the house.

There was a whoosh of rushing air and Shepard automatically crouched. The sound was not recognizable. It didn't belong to either a Viking, Wraith, Raven, or Banshee. It was way too steady and evenly pitched. He scanned the skies, and kept his ear on the comms, and he heard a stray transmission coming from the Battlecruiser, a warning to anyone who could recieve in the platform.

"_Anybody getting this, contingent of enemy fighters and what looked like shuttles bypassed us! You may have hostiles bearing on you! I repeat. . ."_

Shepard heard enough and went to his platoon. "Alright men. We might have hostiles on the platform. I need you all to do a hard connection for frequency 0A0101.79. I'll scout ahead, and relay as much information to you as I can. Staff Sergeant, I'll leave them at your discretion."

"Yes sir," Martinez loaded. "Alright, everyone, saddle up!"

Shepard dashed forward, his steps nearly silent as he headed in direction that his HUD indicated the nearest Command Center was located. It was only one and a half kilometers away, not too far. He also spotted an incline where he could climb up to higher ground for a better view. The platoon of soldiers were following right behind him, their steps louder and creating a slight tremor. He opened his line.

"Staff Sergeant, keep yourselves on the lower grounds. I'm climbing up for a better view."

"_Yes, sir."_

Up the ramp, Shepard scanned the area again. He was a kilometer away now, yet the radio noise was getting louder. It was not in a language he understood, and it was coming from right in front of his location.

"Everyone, listen up. Possible hostiles nearby. I repeat, possible hostiles," the Saboteur transmitted as he slowed his steps a little, keeping his ears open. Before long, he could hear that same sound he noticed earlier; that quiet and even pitched noise. Taking his rifle, he looked through the scope for the direction of the sound and spotted two ships, fighters most likely, hovering as a wider ship descended to the platform. He wondered if the third ship was a shuttle as it traveled to what looked like the aliens' operating base.

The wide ship hovered close to the ground and opened up, revealing a good twenty troops. They off-loaded and went to a formation around another group (Shepard counted another twenty) as another alien shouted to get their attention, probably the leader of the group. As the shuttle and fighters left, Shepard went even closer to see what these aliens looked like.

They were humanoid. Two legs, two arms at least. Their feet looked like they only had two toes, and their hands only had three digits. Their faces had some sort of carapace, forming heavily on their front and side of their face. Their necks were less covered, exposing greyish flesh. They had two eyes, and a mouth, and instead of hair, they had crest of horns, almost like a backward pointed hat. Lastly, they had different marks of different color on their faces.

He heard the leader speak. The language seemed incomprehensible to Shepard's ears, but it was audibly distinct. It was like two voices speaking, one slightly delayed.

The platoon seemed to be watching closely as well because he suddenly heard Jenkins mutter "_Holy shit, are you guys seeing this?" _over the radio.

"_I can see notable difference from the protoss. Their carapace look metallic for some reason,"_ Santos declared.

"_They look. . . disciplined," _Martinez commented.

"Very," Shepard replied as the leader gathered the group to a table and began to point something. The rest of the aliens seemed to touch their arms, and something orange lit up, covering their forearms.

"_What are those?"_

Shepard wasn't sure who asked that. "Could be computers. Who knows," he guessed. He took a moment to scout the base, and noticed that they had put some crates for covers on two sides, the further one facing the terran base, and the other to watch their flank. Both were narrow enough to serve as choke points.

"Smart, but not too heavily defended," Shepard commented. "They probably just arrived. Established just enough to cover their bases."

There was movement coming from the further defense line. A few of the aliens seemed to be returning, probably a few scouts. Judging by the blue liquid and holes in their armor, they had met resistance. They were led to the leader.

"_Huh. Blue blood. Like the protoss," _Santos commented.

"_Maybe they're like their long lost cousins."_

"_Hey, pig's blood is red. Does that mean we're related to them?"_

"_Well, scientifically speaking-"_

"_Don't finish that sentence Hale. I don't care how pretty you are, I ain't gonna be compared to some hog."_

"_People, settle down," _Martinez ordered. _"What's the plan sir?"_

"I'm going to cut off their leadership. Then you will hit them hard," Shepard moved to position, and took the safety off his rifle as he settled down a flat on the ground, and aimed at the leader as he spoke with the wounded scouts. "Santos, will the carapace be thick enough to stop a C25 series shot?"

Santos took a while to answer. _"Their skin would probably not be that thick. If it was, then it would be too hard for them to move quickly. Of course, that's assuming their muscular structure wasn't different in some way. If they are, those plates could possibly be thicker and it wouldn't actually a bother to them."_

Shepard frowned. "So neck or eye. Why not. Needed a challenge."

"_Wait, did you say eye? Can you even take a shot like that, sir?"_

"We'll find out," Shepard replied. "Everyone in position?"

"_Marauder units front. They'll fire the first volley, and clear the way for the marines," _Martinez replied.

"_Just say when. . ." _a marauder muttered.

Shepard took a breath. "Target in my sights." He inhaled. He exhaled. He inhaled again, and then pulled the trigger.

A faint of blue light surrounded the leader for just a split second. Shepard held off a gasp of surprise as he realized that whoever they are, they had shields like the protoss. However, the shield didn't seem as powerful as his gun since the shot still punched through, though it was off by a few millimeters. Instead of hitting the left eye, what he got was a hole in the forehead. And as luck would have it, the carapace weren't thick enough to stop the bullet. For a moment, the leader looked blankly at his platoon of soldiers before he slumped down on the ground, creating a panic amongst them.

"Target down. Never knew what hit him."

"_Marauders! Unleash hell!" _Martinez shouted.

"_Heh. Its about to get heavy!"_

The enemy soldiers were still confused when gun fire started at their flanking defensive position. One of the confused soldiers seemed to have gathered his wits and shouted a command. To Shepard's amazement, they went back to formation just as the marauders were in range.

"_Say goodnight!"_

And there was an explosion as the defensive crates were blown wide open at the initial salvo of grenades tore through them, blowing away the defenders.

"_Go, go, go!"_

Shepard watched the battle proceed as Martinez coordinated the attack perfectly. He had left Hale to check on the marauders as the marines charged in through the path the grenades opened up for them. The Staff Sergeant himself joined in as they began to charge in, shooting surviving stragglers. The enemy soldiers led by their new second in command were coordinated and responded well, taking cover behind more crates and began to return fire, causing the marines to scatter and find cover on their own until the marauders came right up and unleashed another salvo of grenades. They hit them hard enough to cause them to find undamaged cover, but held the line, grouping their shots, using their number advantage against them.

The odds weren't favorable, conventionally speaking. It's a good thing N7 agents were anything but. Shepard unloaded his cartridge, and put in another. He aimed at the center of the most concentrated number of hostiles, and fired a round.

It didn't hit anyone. It didn't have to. At impact, the round sent an ultrasonic pulse that stunned all surrounding units. Marines, medics and marauders took advantage of the hostiles' immobility and charged. Each marine fired at constant intervals as the marauders launched their grenades to the still-stunned aliens, and took the aliens down in numbers to a more manageable size.

Shepard didn't take a chance. He took another shot at the recovering hostiles, and let his platoon take them all down with ease.

"_Clear!" _Martinez shouted over the line.

"Casualties?" Shepard asked as he scanned the area again. There was no ramp to use to go down, so he'd have to walk back where he climbed up.

"_Beltran and Ruiz took a couple of shots but nothing medi-gel couldn't fix. No dead," _Santos replied.

"_How about you, sir? Are you hurt?" _Hale asked.

"I'm fine, Hale. Thanks for asking," Shepard replied, as professionally as he could. "Martinez, there's no ramp nearby so I'm going back where I came up. I'll rejoin you soon."

"_We'll be waiting," _Martinez replied.

The walk back didn't take too long, but when Shepard arrived, he noticed the platoon kept themselves busy. Marines were all piling the alien bodies in neat rows while the medics seemed to be pondering over one of the alien corpses, the leader that Shepard had shot, and the marauders were with Martinez, checking over the weapons and the intact crates.

The marines were the first to spot him. They immediately stood up straight and saluted. He gave them a nod, and saluted back.

"Good work, marines. Made me proud."

"Thank you, sir!" they replied as they went back to their duties.

He approached the medics, and they too saluted.

"What do you have?" Shepard asked.

"They probably have more natural defenses than humans or protoss," Santos replied. "Hands are tipped with mandibles or claws. Their features also seem. . . avian. Also, see those markings on his face?" Shepard nodded. "Not natural. It's like paint."

"Odd pattern for a face camouflage," Shepard muttered. "War paint, maybe?"

"Not too sure. Another odd thing; judging from what my medical scanner is telling me, I think these aliens have a different protein base than ours."

Shepard blinked. "What does that mean?"

"No idea sir. You have to ask someone with a higher pay grade than mine."

The Saboteur nodded. "Anyway we can transport a corpse back to Shanxi?"

"We can bag the corpse but we don't have any tools to transport him easily. We could have a marine carry one, but he won't exactly be ready to fight if we meet any more resistance."

"I'll see if I can arrange things then. We only need to transport him to the nearest command center." Shepard looked at the three medics. "Outstanding job."

The medics saluted, and replied, "Thank you, sir."

He made his way to Martinez next, who was talking to the group of marauders, who were laying down the alien's weapons on a table.

"They look like toys," one of them commented. "It even folds up."

"For easy transport, I'm guessing," Shepard said, gaining their attention.

Martinez and the marauders stood straight, and saluted. The Saboteur saluted back.

"What have you got so far?" he asked the Staff Sergeant.

"Nothing, sir," Martinez shook his head. "All I know is you pull the trigger, it shoots something. Can't even tell where they put the clips, or how to even reload the damn things. And the aliens themselves? They definitely had personal shields on them, but we punched through it just fine."

"Gather as much as we can carry. Let the higher-ups and scientist study them," Shepard said. "Also, I need a marine to carry an alien corpse as well. We're half a kilometer away from a friendly base. Hopefully they have transport to take it all back to General Williams. How long will you guys need to recover?"

Martinez shrugged. "I'd give it another five minutes, but give the order sir, and we'll continue."

Shepard pondered for a moment, and nodded. "Five minutes. Then we move out." He paused. "I don't think I need to tell you guys, but that was one heck of a show."

Daniels chuckled. "I'm all about that, sir."

"Carry on," Shepard said. He left them to their own devices, walked towards a crate and sat down. He checked his rifle, his sidearm, and finally his clips. He looked at the enormous view of Shanxi, and looked towards the lit up space as the battlecruisers firing everything they got.

Shepard inserted a clip to his rifle. The initial skirmish was a success. And with the storm brewing, knowing that there was more waiting for him beyond space, he hoped their luck would hold out until the end.

* * *

_Author's Notes: _

_Not much to say, except a thank you to 6thfloormadness for doing the beta on this one, and thanks to all reviewers as well. Learned some excellent stuff, and hope you guys enjoy this chapter. _


	3. Chapter 3

Shepard had to give the Staff Sergeant credit, the man was thorough. He ordered a few men to pry open a few crates, and while they contained more weapons, they also contained some odd smelling bars (rations, Shepard would guess) and what looked like a flat tablet display. The Saboteur added that to the pile of stuff to take to General Williams.

Once the five minutes were up, the platoon saddled up. Harris was assigned to carry the bagged alien corpse, while Ruiz, a marauder, was given responsibility of carrying the alien weapons and technology.

Shepard went up ahead and scouted once more, but the last half kilometer walk looked like it wasn't going to be anything exciting. All they had to look forward to would be a steady view of metallic walls of differing levels and a few lights popping on once in a while. Of course, it didn't mean he was going to relax. His platoon might encounter some fighters or maybe they'd have alien ships drop off more troops at them, and he'd be damned if they'd fall into an ambush.

However, in the end, there was no ambush and no hostiles. It was all relatively quiet until they reached the edge of the terran base.

Shepard could see an overarching dome of a bunker hidden behind the wall. When they got closer, he noticed three more marines up in the wall. They had their weapons trained at them. He paused, and raised a hand, giving them the terran signal that they weren't hostile.

They didn't signal back, radio or otherwise. There was a moment of tense silence and Shepard used that to note the slight color difference of the central block of the barricade. It appeared that the barricade was made from those modified design of supply depots that had been repurposed as a defensive barrier.

"They sure are taking their time, sir," Martinez suddenly spoke, interrupting the Saboteur's train of thought. He spared a glance at his Staff Sergeant, and gave him an assuring smile.

"Don't worry, Martinez. We're still allies, last time I checked," Shepard replied. He paused as his comm-link began to receive an incoming transmission.

"_Identify yourself."_

"There we go," Shepard muttered before he transmitted back, "Lieutenant Sheperd, UTS N7 SpecOps. Requesting permission to come inside."

There was another moment of silence before a block of wall burrowed down, giving off a pneumatic hiss.

"_Go right ahead. Our Captain is in the Command Center. Keep your weapons safely out of the way. Anything funny, we shoot you down, understood, Lieutenant?"_

"Roger that," Shepard replied, and took a look at Martinez. "Heard that, Staff Sergeant?"

"Yes, sir," and Martinez turned to the whole company and shouted an order.

The marines lowered their weapons across them, taking a neutral but ready stance. Shepard led them inside, passing through the bunker, glanced towards the UED marines and marauders pointing their weapons at them and then scoped out the defenses of the base as they got deeper inside.

They were pretty basic. They had bunkers behind the reinforced walls, supported by a few marines and longbolt missile turrets. Near those bunkers were supply depots, so soldiers wouldn't walk far once their ammunition or rations were depleted. The base was solidly defended.

Still, Shepard couldn't help but feel a bit unsatisfied. He had been in the front lines in the Second Great War and he had seen the magic of the terran defense line; the almost wall-like line of repurposed supply depots protecting bunkers, heavy hitting siege tanks with the bunkers or on higher ground while battle hellions patrolled the area in case the enemy began dropping units from the air, or a stop a sneaking nydus worm once it popped from the ground.

Still, the defenses were as standard as it went. The base only had an orbital command center and two barracks with tech reactor attachments. A little further in, he could see medivacs, special ops dropships, and three banshees grounded. Shepard hoped the pilots were resting in one of the barracks and not dead. The absence of a starport or a factory indicated that infantry was probably the only real defense this base had. No long range artillery, no superior air power.

Still, whoever in charge of the base wasn't just twiddling their thumbs. The barracks were bustling with activity as troops moved around and the tech reactors appeared active, indicating the automated system inside were making additional CMC armor for whatever personnel they had available. Around the barracks were squads of marines, medics, and marauders (though no Firebats Shepard noticed) marching across the open space being ordered by their assigned squad leaders.

Walking to the middle of camp, they attracted the attention of UED soldiers. They whispered amongst themselves, stealthily pointing curious fingers at them. Even squad leaders seemed interested; Shepard and his platoon had quite a crowd following them as they got near the command center, where the Captain was waiting outside for them.

Shepard gave him sharp salute. "Thank you for having us, sir."

The Captain looked at Shepard for a moment, and then slowly saluted back. "Captain Warrick, UED Marines, twenty-fifth and sixth. Not to be rude, Lieutenant, but I want to know what brings an UTS N7 Operative to our backyard."

"Re-assigned, Captain. My platoon and I were to land planet-side and start training volunteers and rookies. Unfortunately since we got rude visitors, Admiral Horner and General Williams told us to get our asses here."

The Captain relaxed a bit more. "Alright, Lieutenant. Welcome to my base. Now, what the hell is going on out here? We've lost communication planet-side, receiving odd signals now and again, can see two battlecruisers lighting up space, and I had word that some sort of light armored hostiles were trying to check our defenses. Are we at war again with the protoss?"

"No, sir, not the protoss. Heck, not even the zerg," Shepard replied. "New species."

Warrick huffed. "New species, new fight. Wonder if that's going to become a prevalent theme of human history."

"Wouldn't know sir. All I know, if they win, it may never happen again."

The captain chuckled, and looked at Shepard's platoon. "So what do we know of these new aliens?"

Shepard called in Harris and Ruiz to them. The marine threw the bagged corpse not so gently to the ground and the marauder spread out all the weapons they had gathered. They promptly retreated back to formation, and the third medic (Shepard never really caught her name) approached the bag, and slowly opened it.

The alien that Shepard had shot was revealed to everyone, earning gasp of surprises and shock amongst the UED forces. Warrick frowned, and kneeled near the corpse, extending his gloved hand and touched its face, opened its eyes, and touched a few droplets of blood near the forehead, rubbing it between his thumb and index finger.

"My word," was all he said.

"What we know so far is that these aliens are using highly advanced mass effect technology, and have been applying it on both large and small scales," said Shepard. "They also have some kind of shields on their fighter ships as well as on their ground personnel." He pointed at the guns that Ruiz dropped. "These are the weapons we recovered, along with what I think is a computer. We were hoping we could get all these to General Williams."

"I still have a few dropships here. We can assign one to you, so you can bring it to the General yourselves," said Warrick.

"Thank you, sir. Also, I was wondering if you could connect me to the UTS base in the platform. I have orders to deploy their fighters to help the battlecruisers out there."

The captain looked at the lit space, and grinned. "They look fine to me."

"This is just the beginning, sir. There may be more coming in," replied Shepard. "Worse, we don't have solid info regarding their numbers."

Warrick nodded. "Alright. Why don't you have your men resupply. We got some spare combat shields they could use and have our engineers see if they can provide some offensive upgrades as well."

Shepard saluted. "I'd appreciate that sir."

The Captain spoke to some of his men, and pointed towards the newly arrived platoon, while Shepard related the Captain's offer to Martinez. Soon, Warrick's men began to guide the Staff Sergeant and the rest while Shepard followed the Captain inside the orbital command center.

"So, did they attack first, or were did we?" Warrick asked as he led Shepard through the building, clearing him through the command bay.

"Does it matter, sir?"

"Just want to make sure we're on the right, Lieutenant," the Captain replied. "Leaves a less bitter taste in the mouth knowing that."

"They attacked first, though as always, it could be a misunderstanding," said Shepard.

The Captain led Shepard into an elevator. "Didn't we have some sort of AI program to minimize situations like that?"

The Saboteur shrugged, and felt the slight shift in movement as they climbed up. "They could have been offended by the program."

"Who gets offended by a soft spoken Adjutant?" Warrick shook his head. "Fekking aliens. Ah, here we are."

The Operations Room of the building looked up to standard regulations. The ring of transteel windows surrounding the room allowed anyone a complete view of the surroundings outside the building, but instead of a raised platform in the center, there was a large holographic table that displayed a map of the orbital platform.

In the lower left area of the hologram, he noticed large green icons scattered in an area, while on the upper center, he could see a large yellow icons as well, with some small yellow icons moving around them. Shepard also noticed that there were red exclamation marks coming in from the edges of the right most area, and a few smaller red marks that would appear and disappear as fast as it came.

Warrick must have noticed Shepard looking, and explained, "Whole orbital platform have built in sensor arrays. It allows us to see enemy movement. We're the green ones. UTS are the yellow ones, and the red are unknown, though we can consider them hostiles now."

"Amazing," the Saboteur replied. "Only within the platform, though?"

"Yup. Problem is the hostiles are getting smart. We lost signals from some of our sensor arrays. Still can see a good part of the platform, but unless we make them back off they'll slowly blind us."

Shepard blinked, and checked Warrick's base again, making note of the various numbers. "You're preparing for a push."

Warrick nodded. "Once they try coming at us with good numbers and get put down by our defenses, I charge in with as much soldiers as I can muster and put the bastards down fast. But so far, we're getting just a handful of scouts that retreat when we do some damage."

The Saboteur had seen it before. It was a staple strategy; put a solid defensive line while building a powerful ground force to push the enemy back, and sweep them out. It wasn't his style, though. He was more of a believer in finding inherent weaknesses on enemy troops, position and strategy, hammer it with a mighty blow and move on before they could react.

And from what he has seen, he felt that while the captain's strategy might work that it would be of limited use against the new enemy.

"Captain, while the approach is sound, the enemy may be thinking along the same lines. We suspect the enemy is advancing here in insurmountable numbers and coming here I came across the enemy establishment. They were building their forces, probably to overwhelm you," Shepard noted.

Warrick huffed. "Really? Good thing you cut 'em off prematurely. Wish we were assigned some factories, though. Could do some real damage with battle hellions, so we wouldn't be playing so defensively."

Shepard looked at the captain. "Sir, why weren't you assigned factories? I imagine at least of a few of your troops must have some kind of vehicle training. Even if it's just doing time on a vulture to get the basic certification."

The man snorted in reply. "Vultures? Please don't tell me you guys are still using that rickety metal death trap."

The Saboteur shrugged. "General Raynor favors the machine, and has been trying to improve its safety system."

"Good luck with that. As for your question, Lieutenant, while I do have some trained personnel and pilots, I don't know why they didn't assign us factories or starports. They said we didn't need it. Platform itself is incomplete, and plans on expanding our roles here were put on hold. Personally, I think they want all the factories planet-side to dissuade the protoss settlement from attacking them."

The Saboteur blinked. "We're allied with the protoss, Captain."

"The Alliance was only established a few years ago. Granted, it's been going good for all of us, but the fact is that not everyone is as assured as you are, Lieutenant. The UTS may have fought side by side with the protoss, but there are still a lot of folks back on Earth, even in my own company, that think the whole Second Great War back on Koprulu sector may be some sort of conspiracy to take over the UED. You know, assure them of an alliance and when nobody's looking, BAM."

Shepard felt his temperature rise, before he forcibly calmed himself by taking some deep breathes.

"With all due respect sir, they are wrong. I fought the in the Second War. We lost millions of people fighting hybrids and zerg, and I have fought shoulder to shoulder with our protoss allies. We spilled blood together. To think it was just a ploy is insulting to the memories of the brave people who gave their lives to make sure we won the war."

The Captain raised his hands defensively. "Lieutenant, you're preaching to the choir. I believe you. And I'm not trying to insult anyone."

The Saboteur looked at the Captain before gave a slight nod. "I apologize for the outburst, sir. Just. . . confused why some would think that."

"Considering how drastic the policy of the UED government has changed with the past few years as well, it would make anyone with half a brain worry and form conspiracy theories. But enough of that topic. We can worry about later," Warrick replied.

"Agreed."

"Good. Now, let's see if we can get you connected to Yellow Base."

Shepard blinked. "Yellow base?"

"Easier to recall using colors," Warrick shrugged. He turned his eye slightly upwards and called "Adjutant?"

"**I am establishing connection to remote Adjutant 567-325. Authorizing access to port 456-900. Connection established. Opening transmission line to remote Adjutant."**

Warrick smiled. "There we go. Now let's get those-" and he was immediately cut off when an alarm rang out.

"**Warning. Transmission being scrambled. Connection lost."**

"Well, what the hell?" the Captain turned to one of the men typing away in their consoles. "Hey, Slane, what's going on?"

Slane, a bald man with spectacles, didn't seem to take his eyes off his holo-screen or his fingers off the keyboard. "Something is scrambling mid and long-range signals. It's reading off like the long range scramblers out in space, but localized. Hostiles might have brought a jammer here on the platform."

"Probably hoping to cut all communication lines completely," said Shepard. "Whatever is scrambling our signals in space wasn't too effective. General Williams was still able to deploy his battlecruisers to meet up with the scouting fighters. A local signal jammer would create total radio silence for Shanxi."

"Slane, can you isolate the signal jammer on the platform?" asked Warrick.

"Interference makes it hard to pinpoint, but. . ." Slane began to type faster. "We're in luck. Jamming signal targets large and complex signals. I was able to send a few feelers out. If these numbers are correct, then rate of signal dispersion is concentrated on these coordinates."

With a final push of a button, the holographic table displayed a big orange circle around a central area, which showed up blank on the holographic map.

Warrick blinked. Then his eyes widened. "But. . . impossible." He raised his eyes. "Adjutant, what's the status of the high orbit satellites in Shanxi?"

"**Operational, Captain."**

"Adjutant, see if you can connect us to any one of them. Prioritize closest one and see if we can do a scanning sweep of the area."

"**Sending command protocol. Adjusting transmission signals. Compensating for signal dispersion."**

Warrick leaned down the holographic table, unconsciously biting his lower lip.

"With the scrambler in place, would we even be able to connect with a satellite?" Shepard asked.

"Command protocol for a scan sweep is a short and simple. If Slane's right, then there's a chance that it could go through."

"**Satellite SHX09 accepting protocols. One moment please. . . data downloaded."**

"Yes," Warrick gave a slight sigh of relief. "Put it on display."

One of the windows blinked as it began displaying a vid-file. Shepard frowned as he saw an operating base bigger than the one he had destroyed earlier, with hostile soldiers in greater numbers.

"Good God," muttered Warrick. "They destroyed the scanner array in the central area without us knowing."

Shepard continued to eye the vid knowing it only lasted ten seconds before it started looping again. The base was surrounded by higher ground platforms, though farther from the center of their base. Any advantage on using the higher ground wouldn't be as effective. Worse, the aliens were using them defensively in an effective manner.

Using the space between the platforms, they built walls at chokepoints, guarded with gun turrets that looked heavy enough to devastate CMC armor. And these walls weren't made by the crates he had seen earlier, but reinforced metal constructs. It had a door that opened up like an old drawbridge, and behind those walls were squads of soldiers for reinforcements.

Taking it on would be suicide.

The Saboteur scanned the higher platforms, checking to see if there were any ramps that could get them inside the base, avoiding the defensive walls. The closest platforms near the UED base had only one ramp, and that was covered by a gun turret as well. Any force coming through that way would be bottlenecked, then cut down to size by the crossfire.

Worse still, the base had a lot of troops. Shepard stopped counting after forty, but if he could guess, he was looking at a company of soldiers.

Warrick pointed at a tower with a boxy construct as a base. "I'm guessing that is our scrambler."

"Seems to be, sir," Shepard muttered. "Do you have those new WMD missiles I heard you guys were developing using mass effect tech? Heck, sir, I'll even take the old style nukes."

Warrick looked at the N7 Operative, and shook his head. "All silos are planet-side, Lieutenant."

"No siege tanks either, I'm guessing. Heck, I'd give anything to get a squad of Reapers for a distraction."

"You're not seriously thinking of taking down that base. . . are you?" Warrick asked worriedly.

"Not the base sir," Shepard pointed towards the jamming device on screen. "Just that, though even then it's not going to be a simple matter. Number superiority, dug in defenses and the jamming tower is at the center, completely in view to anyone in the base."

"Can't you cloak and sneak in?" asked Warrick.

Shepard chuckled slightly. "Yeah, but I wouldn't reach the jammer tower before my cloaking field went down. I could get it back up again in a few seconds, but by that time, they'd gun me down. Unless of course the appearance of a human in their base shocks them enough not to shoot in those seconds then they'd deserve to lose that tower."

"Huh," the Captain muttered. "Heard stories how Ghosts and Spectres had that new cloaking technology that would keep them invisible at all times."

"Unfortunately, I'm not a powerful psionic so those nifty psi-enhancers and augmenters would be wasted on me," the Saboteur shrugged. "I opted to use modified energy stores that use any type of energy, mostly solar and heat energy, to recharge quickly, allowing me to use my cloak often. Problem is cloaking drains them fast, so I can't keep the field up indefinitely."

Warrick rubbed his chin. "Okay, so sneaking straight to the tower is out. Maybe if you could take out the one leading them, distract them, or take down their morale?"

"These hostiles are very well disciplined. I did the same tactic coming here, and took them a few seconds to recover. The second in command stepped up to leadership quickly, and the enemy lost little cohesion. They were still able to respond well enough to defend their base until I. . . uh, cheated."

"Would it be possible to cheat again?" Warrick asked.

"Not without your help, captain," Shepard replied. "It's a numbers game. No matter how many tricks I can pull, my platoon can only take so much. They'd overwhelm us without support." He looked at Warrick. "Your support, sir."

The Captain looked at the Saboteur for a moment, and looked back at the vid file they were able to obtain. His face turned grim at the prospect. "What do you have in mind, Lieutenant?"

* * *

Martinez was the first one to greet Shepard outside the command center. He gave the Lieutenant a salute, which the latter returned.

"How is the resupply going, Staff Sergeant?" Shepard asked.

"Combat shields have been attached to the marines. Medics are checking out if their stim packs are compatible with our medi-gel," Martinez replied. "Were we able to contact the UTS base, sir?"

"Nope. Aliens put up a localized scrambling signal," Shepard replied. "Worse, they setup right between the UED and UTS bases."

"So, same drill as the last one?"

Shepard looked at the Staff Sergeant, and sighed. "No. Not this time Martinez."

He then explained what they were able to obtain from the vid file the satellite had sent. He gave defense details of the base, its surroundings, and the number of soldiers they had. Martinez listened intently, only interrupting with a few questions to get more details.

"So, frontal assault is out . . . a distraction then, sir?" the Staff Sergeant asked.

"Yeah, Staff Sergeant. A distraction," Shepard replied, giving him a small smile. Martinez seemed to be suspecting what the plan was, and he hated what he was going to say next. "We need a team to distract enemy movement, and hopefully draw them away while Captain Warrick's marines come up to the two closest walls. I'm going in, and do what I do best; sabotage and open the walls so they could rush in."

"Once inside, enemy will be fighting on three fronts, and we'd overwhelm them. Sounds solid," Martinez finished. "I am guessing my team will be the distraction, sir?"

"With a few other units that will reinforce you, yeah."

The way Shepard said it made the Staff Sergeant blinked, and gave his commanding officer a smile. "Sir, we're marines. It sounds like a job for us."

"I know," Shepard sighed. "I just wish I had a better plan, Staff Sergeant. If blood will have to be spilled, I want it spent wisely. And your team is much more valuable than to be used only as a distraction."

"Sir, we were originally assigned to train FNGs planet-side. Now we are waging war on an unknown alien, defending an allied colony instead. I'd wager my pay that the platoon prefers what we're doing now," Staff Sergeant saluted. "You tell us where to go, and we'll go. I'll keep them alive."

Shepard saluted back. "You're a good man, Staff Sergeant."

"Thank you, sir. When will the operation start?"

"Twenty minutes. Relate to the platoon what needs to be done, and meet me back here," Shepard said.

"Giving another speech, sir?" Martinez asked.

The Lieutenant laughed. "Oh hell no, Martinez. Filled my quota for rousing speeches for today."

Martinez smiled back, and went on his way leaving Shepard once more alone on his thoughts. He placed his hand over chest. He couldn't feel it, but he knew the vid-snap was still there. It was slightly silly, but he felt it strengthened him, strengthened his resolve.

He watched as Warrick's men began to move. He spotted a UED medic and a marine carrying the alien body and the acquisitions Shepard and his platoon made to a dropship. He had convinced the Captain to bring everything to Williams just in case, and once it was loaded he watched the ship take off towards the planet.

A few more minutes later, Martinez had gathered the platoon back to Shepard. All of the marines had the new M9A combat shields attached to their shoulders, and lit green lights on their forearms indicated they were carrying a full supply of stim-packs. The marauders had the same as well. All looked prepared and fully armed.

He checked their faces, hoping to get a read on them. They kept their expressions steady, but the air was rich with only one thing: excitement. Martinez seemed to be right. The soldiers were looking forward to their mission. The only ones looking worried were their medics as they seemed to be rechecking their supplies of medi-gel.

It made the Saboteur half-wonder if they were the only sane ones in the group.

"Glad to see you're all looking forward to this," Shepard stated.

"No better seats in the house, sir," Jenkins advised.

"And we get first blood as well. It's like a damn buffet for us, Lieutenant," Ruiz advised.

"All we can eat. Those who leave leftovers buy us drinks," Harris exclaimed.

Shepard stood straighter. "Tell you what, Private. You guys come home alive and first round's on me. Is that understood?"

The soldiers looked at each other, and their smiles widened. "Ooh-rah to that sir!"

The medics didn't seem reassured. Hale was looking the most worried as she came forward, and asked, "Sir, permission to speak freely?"

Shepard looked at her, and frowned slightly. "Go ahead, Hale."

"Sir, you can get better armor from the engineers," the medic advised. "Staff Sergeant advised us what the plan is. You're going in hostile territory alone, with no support."

"Hale, shut it," Santos muttered, turning to face her fellow medic.

"I'm just worried . . . sir," Hale continued, ignoring Santos' glare.

Shepard gave the medic a slight nod, and raised a hand towards Santos, indicating it was fine. He walked in front of Hale. "While I appreciate the thought Hale, I've been trained to sneak in hostile territory undetected. And besides, do you know what will keep me unseen behind enemy lines? My cloak? No. It's all of you." He moved back from Hale, and looked at his platoon. "The longer you keep them distracted and the more effective your distraction maximizes my odds of survival, maximizes our odds for victory."

He looked at the medic again. "You want me to stay safer, Hale? Do your jobs. Do it right. That way we can fight the bastards again in another day. That way, we can all get to go home and enjoy well-spent credits, drinking a cold one."

Shepard pointed towards the medivacs being prepared. "Now, people, let's move. Our transport is waiting."

The soldiers shouted another 'ooh-rah', and Hale bit her lip, but nodded as she followed Santos to their assigned transport. Martinez had that knowing smile as he joined Shepard on the way to their transport.

"No speech huh, sir?"

The Saboteur rolled his eyes. "I got caught in the moment."

"Wish I had a notepad, sir. Could get good material out of you," Martinez grinned.

"Oh shut it, Staff Sergeant, and let's do our job."

"Aye-aye, sir."

* * *

It took a few minutes before the medivac announced they were on the first drop point. They took a longer route to avoid the hostile fighter ships, and with no scouts ahead all the pilots could rely on were their eyes and the shaky and almost unclear transmission coming from the UED orbital command center.

Shepard made sure his rifle was secured in his hands as the cargo door opened. He heard Martinez wishing him luck. He didn't know if he replied back. He jumped out and heard the rushing air as the gravity tube worked its magic. Landing lightly on the upper platform, he checked his position relative to the map he got back at the UED base, and made his way forward.

His platoon was still transmitting, having done a hard comm-link earlier. Martinez was doing a roll call, and some were humming the tune of _Ride of the Valkyries._

HUD displayed heat signatures. Shepard cut off the audio from his comm-link, leaving him only with his breathes and beating heart. He activated his cloak as he approached even nearer towards the signature.

It was a soldier. He was standing guard on top of the ramp that led down to their base, and he was alert, eyes scanning the area.

Shepard was tempted to take him out now, but didn't. He approached, his were footsteps silent and almost inaudible and took his place just a few meters from the enemy soldier's left. His cloak would hold out on him for at least another twenty seconds, enough time for his team to be in place.

So he waited. Five seconds pass. He noticed the enemy soldier was still alert, body straight, highly disciplined. The Saboteur found himself curious on how he'd react when it hit.

Another five seconds pass, and Shepard finally heard it. The high pitched whirl of high speed rotors and a slight pitch and whoosh of sound as cloaked Banshees rushed in towards where his platoon would land. The soldier caught the sound, and his mandibles moved as his eyes searched for the source of the noise.

He wouldn't spot it. Banshees rarely came in hostile territories announced. But once they make their presence know . . .

The ground suddenly shook as a spectacular explosion rang through the air. Shepard could feel the air superheat as a line of fire was produced, cutting a swath of hostiles, hitting some of the gun turrets as well.

He activated his comm-link again, just in time to hear Martinez shout, _"Alright ladies! Whatever it takes!"_

"_Feel the thunder!"_

"_WHATEVER IT TAKES!"_

"_FEEL THE THUNDER!"_

With the fires, Shepard made out the two medivacs in the air, and his platoon jumped out. They landed and began to take formation as the enemy moved in against them as the cracking sound of shots fired rang through the air.

The soldier guarding the ramp seemed to have been called in, and began to rush down the ramp, joining up a squad as they began to charge towards the humans.

"_Legion Formation! Legion Formation!"_

Shepard's cloak finally faded as he watched the marines began to form a straight line, shields forward, covering each other. Their rifles were exposed on the spaces between the shield-wall, firing rapidly at the incoming foes. Sometimes, a pair of marines would move their shields fast enough for a marauder to launch his grenade, earning another spectacular explosion.

_They are doing fine, _Shepard told himself. He stood up, reactivated his cloak and readied his sidearm and knife as he descended down the ramp. There were still soldiers around, probably a fire team left to defend the area. Only one was the real threat; the one behind the gun turret.

He crept behind the soldier and shot it in the head.

It was . . . different, seeing it up close. Blue blood spurted out, its smell more metallic then human blood, in all directions. The soldier fell on its knees, and slid to the ground, unmoving. The others were in shock, frozen for a few seconds before they moved.

_Too slow,_ Shepard thought as he aimed at the closest soldier and pulled the trigger.

The enemy shouted in pain as it was hit in the chest. More blue blood flowed as it was stunned back before the N7 Operative shot again, keeping the alien down for good this time. Shepard released his cloaking field, giving the last alien standing a good look at him for a split-second before throwing his knife.

The alien dodged it, distracted for a second, just enough time for Shepard to cut the distance, and slammed the butt of his gun to its head, felling the alien. He then aimed at its downed head and shot twice.

There was no time to check for his handiwork. There may still be a few fire teams in place. Activating his cloak again, he made his way to the first gate, and studied the wall structure. There were three aliens on top of the wall, behind the gun turrets. They wouldn't be a factor. He then checked the support struts, and after a few seconds of consideration began putting D9 charges in specific locations.

"_Harris, you're out of formation! Get back!"_

Shepard frowned, and moved a few meters away before he detonated the charges. The explosion took out the supporting rods, sending the whole wall down. The aliens fell as well, crushed by the crashing structure.

"This is Shepard. Gate one is open. Proceeding to gate two."

"_This is - - Warrick. Copy - - Lieutenant. Sending - - boys in."_

"_Harris! Damn it, someone cover him! Santos! Marine's down! Need your magic here!"_

"_Watch out! One of them looks like they are carrying a rocket . . . ah, shit, shit, shit!"_

"_Disperse! Disperse!"_

Shepard's step paused when he heard another explosion. And then, he felt himself rushing quickly towards the second gate. "This is Lieutenant Shepard, requesting some support for my platoon. I repeat, requesting support for my platoon!"

There was a pause before he heard a female voice advice, "_We copy Lieutenant. Locking on approach vectors."_

He could hear the whirl of rotors once more, and he didn't waste time as he met another fire squad. He took out his rifle, set it to semi-automatic and aimed at the closest of the four aliens before bursting a tightly grouped shot at its back.

"_Weapons hot. Targets acquired."_

"_Remember ladies. Hit as many as you can."_

"_Yes ma'am."_

The fire team looked at its downed comrade, and they all began to raise their rifles, their eyes useless as Shepard approached another one, and aimed at its head. With a pull of the trigger, the second one went down and immediately afterwards an electrical crackle warned Shepard that his cloaking field was going down.

Now exposed, the third aliens spotted him, and pointed his rifle towards the Saboteur, but it seemed luck was on his side as another explosion rocked the ground, causing the enemy to miss by inches. He rushed in while shooting, bringing alien down before he heard his rifle clicking, indicating he was out of bullets.

Only one was left. It aimed its rifle, and began to shoot at him. Shepard went flat on the ground, and used his initial momentum to slide towards a downed alien, grabbed its weapon, and sat up as he shot back. The kick wasn't as bad as he thought but for some reason, shots were more scattered than he liked. Still, his aim was good as most of the projectiles lined up perfectly to the target, but it took longer before the alien's shields went down.

In the end, the blue light faded as the alien was hit on the shoulder, forcing it to let go of its rifle. The alien's weapon Shepard had used was beeping and wouldn't fire anymore so he took out his side-arm and finished the soldier off with a last shot to the head.

As he reloaded his rifle and gun, he heard the steady hum and even pitch in the air indicated the presence of the alien fighters, and there were crack of shots, louder compared to the usual, punching through the air.

"_Mayday, mayday! Hostile fighters inbound! They're shooting at our general location!"_

"_Did our cloak fail? Or maybe the enemy has detectors?"_

"_Negative. Shots too scattered. They could be using our missile vectors to . . . I'm hit! Left rotor compromised! Fire is affecting cloaking field!"_

Shepard gritted his teeth. He began to dash to the second gate so Warrick's men would be in en-force, but he knew they wouldn't reach the banshee in time for support.

"_Get out!"_

"_Too late! My signal is being locked!"_

Shepard paused as he heard another sound as new transmissions burst through his comm-link as he heard the tell-tale of missiles being launched. Then, an explosion.

They just lost a banshee. Or so he thought.

"_Where the hell did that shot come from?"_

Shepard's ears pricked up when he recognized the new sound in the air, and slowly smiled as he realized they got some reinforcements.

"_This is Second Lieutenant Moreau of UTS Viking Flight Squadron Alpha. Hope you don't mind us cutting in girls. It looked like a fun party."_

There was a moment of pause before a banshee pilot advised, _"We'll take any help we can Second Lieutenant."_

"_Alright. Formation 4A, people. Let it fly!" _

There were more missiles launched, and more explosions rocking through the air. Enemy fighters exploded in fiery balls as Vikings cut through enemy territory, and turned around for another run.

This was his chance. Shepard continued on his run as he opened up his comm-link. "This is Lieutenant Shepard, UTS N7 Operative. I have a priority message for UTS command assigned in the orbital platform in Shanxi. I repeat, I have a priority message for UTS command."

"_This is Second Lieutenant Moreau. What do you need?"_

Shepard met up another fire team, and his gun went up. With a squeeze on the trigger, another alien soldier fell. "These are operational orders from Admiral Horner. We are in a first contact situation, and the new aliens are aggressive. He ordered all available Vikings and Wraiths up in space to support the UED battlecruisers."

Shepard reached the wall, and began to place the D9 charges at the weak struts once more. "Did you copy?" he asked as he moved away once more, and triggered the explosion.

"_Copy that. I'm sending two of mine back to base to relay your message. Sky isn't that clear yet. We'll offer as much support as you can."_

"Roger that!" Shepard nodded. "Captain Warrick, this is Lieutenant Shepard. Second gate is down. Your men are free to come in."

"_I can see that. Good work, Lieutenant. Now, let's kick their asses out of here."_

Shepard took nodded, and rushed towards his platoon. It was total chaos. With the first gate down, reinforcement marine and marauders began to demolish everything in its path, easing off the pressure from his platoon. But they were still being overwhelmed, and with the second gate just down a few moments ago, he wasn't taking any chances.

He found his squad, all scattered, trying to get into cover as they were battered from all sides with shots. He could see five marines covering the three overworked medics working on three marines and two marauders. The medivacs were also busy, as its laser scalpels and auto-sutures hard at work to keep the other marines from going down.

He assessed the enemies, and began to asses which were high priority targets. His rifle was back on his hand as he aimed at the soldier armed with what looked like a rocket launcher, and squeezed the trigger. He aimed for another soldier, who seemed to be using a grenade launcher, and squeezed the trigger again.

"_Hey, the Lieutenant is here!"_

He found another soldier with a rocket launcher. He aimed and fired.

"_You sure?"_

"_Holy shit! They're coming down like flies! It's like he's on stims!"_

And he fired again, downing another soldier. The aliens finally seemed to have noticed that someone was taking potshots at him as they began to fire at Shepard's direction. The Saboteur went behind a crate, and quickly changed his clip. He put his cloak back on, and rolled a few meters away, and was completely invisible and free to aim and fire an ultrasonic pulse round that incapacitated a group of them.

"_Come on Marines! The Lieutenant is taking all the fun! Are we just going to let him?"_

"_No Staff Sergeant!"_

And Martinez rallied the marines and marauders still in good condition and began to fire more rapidly towards the enemy. Shepard fired a few more shots of ultrasonic pulse as he heard Warrick's men beginning to sweep out the enemies.

"_Contacts are breaking! I repeat, they are retreating!"_

"_Charge forward!"_

"_OOH-RAH!"_

Shepard looked up as more Banshees began firing their missiles at a few places, while the Vikings moved in again, weaving through the air. There were more scattered shots rang out in the surrounding areas, too many to tell, and so loud that he heard his ears ringing.

Yet, he kept listening. He kept his eyes open too. As he aimed his rifle to shoot more hostiles, began to see the increasing amount of dead aliens scattered around him. He could smell the suffocating metallic blue blood all around him, mixed with the burning smell of explosives.

It didn't seem to end.

Only after a few seconds, it did. There was silence for moment, and Shepard found himself reloading his rifle, and looked around the battlefield, trying to see who he should shoot next.

Martinez shouted the all-clear. Only then did he allow himself to relax.

* * *

**Codex: **

_Modified Supply Depots:_

_After two great wars, Terran strategist had found that some commanders had built supply depots at choke points and used them as defensive walls. This was to deter melee-concentrated units of the protoss or zerg, the former using powerful zealots while the latter use innumerable zerglings or even the mighty ultralisks. _

_Knowing the fact that using a building that held precious supplies as a defensive structure was somewhat foolish, engineers have modified the supply depots and created a modification. The new barriers use the same basic structure as the supply depot, but have thickened walls by completely eliminating storage space, and also designed to mold into any chokepoint it would be built on. _

_In addition, going through the modification inspired engineers to improve supply storage in the regular supply depots, leaving less clutter inside the base. _

* * *

_Author's Notes: _

_Next chapter is out. I'm planning to change viewpoints of the war soon, giving the Turian Heirarchy a voice. _

_Thanks again for 6thfloormadness for doing the beta. Thanks for starspawn07 for supplementary data. Enjoy the chapter guys. _


End file.
